“Perceived Value” is now the strongest driver of Death Care customer satisfaction

April 6, 2026/Business, Products/

Last week Johnson Consulting Group (JCG) released their annual “Sales and Customer Service Trends” report for 2026. The report is compiled by customer surveys that over the past five years and have included 654,327 sales and survey records in that time period.

Here are some key takeaways from this year’s findings according to the JCG press release:

Perceived value is now the strongest driver of satisfaction and financial performance, overtaking service quality alone as the key differentiator between high‑ and average‑performing funeral homes.

Pre‑need burial fulfillment delivers the highest customer experience scores, including the strongest NPS and TVI, confirming the long‑term value of advance planning.

Traditional burial and memorialized cremation continue to outperform simplified offerings, delivering higher satisfaction, stronger perceived value, and greater revenue resilience, even amid pricing pressure.

Firms using structured incentive compensation plans show higher sales averages and stronger resilience, reinforcing the link between aligned incentives, accountability, and sustained performance.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take: I’m not surprised that “Perceived Value” has overtaken “Service Quality Alone” as the key indicator of high performing funeral homes. For the past couple of years the debate across America has been about “affordability” in almost all purchases. It’s not surprising to see that thought process come to Death Care.

As a consumer I expect “quality service and performance” whether I’m buying a high-priced Porcshe or paying a high price for Death Care services. That is simply the expectation of paying a “high price”.

However, if I can get quality performance from a Chevrolet Equinox (my car) or better than expected goods and service for my familiy’s Death Care needs — whether they be cremation or earth burial — and pay less at the same time, then I will perceive the value as better.

I think as Americans go through continued thoughts of “affordability” those businesses and services that can “deliver satisfaction” at a lesser price-point will become high performers in their industry category.

I’m also not surprised,however, with the 3rd bullet point which concludes that “Traditional burial and memorialized cremation continue to outperform simplified offerings, delivering higher satisfaction, stronger perceived value, and greater revenue resilience, even amid pricing pressure.”

My take on that issue is that America’s funeral directors are good at the work they do. And, in traditional burial services and cremations that include a memorialization service, funeral directors spend more time with the family than they would on a Direct Cremation. I believe that the additional funeral director time spent with the deceased’s family builds trust, confidence, and goodwill in the services purchased and leads those families who chose those options with the idea of greater perceived value for the amount spent.

I’ll also note that a recent article that I found in Australia about Direct Cremation mentioned that many families believe the process is too “transactional” and does not allow for a “farewell moment”. So, shoring up those processes might be a way to boost “perceived value” and “satisfaction” among the Direct Cremation segment.

Funeral Director Daily, over the next weeks, will take a more in-depth look at Johnson Consulting Group’s 2026 Sales and Customer Survey Trends and Insights Report and continue with articles about what we find concerning Death Care consumer behavior.

If you are interested in learning more about Johnson Consulting Group click here.

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